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Dec. 30, 2008: We have all been Bushwhacked

To The Editor:
The Bush/Cheney regime, a failed presidency? No way! Despite massive unpopularity and destruction of the American economy, as well as the unnecessary deaths and maiming of tens of thousands of innocent young (and old) people, the Bush/Cheney presidency has been wildly popular and successful for the small, elite, very wealthy group of people who put them in power and got them “elected.” These are the fine folks who run the oil industry, related automobile industry, world-wide mercenary groups (i.e. Blackwater) and the purveyors of absurdly overpriced goods and services to the military (i.e. Halliburton) pursuant to “not-for-bid” noncompetitive contracts.
Their most recent success is the current global financial crisis, in which the folks at the very top of the food chain saw their wealth increase dramatically (including multimillion dollar “bonuses” for driving their companies into the ground), while millions of taxpayers are stuck with the bill, financial instability and loss of houses based upon the mess that this group of amoral “top feeders” created.
There are more millionaires and billionaires in the United States now than in our entire history. The number of millionaires has tripled since 1990. The number of billionaires has doubled. Is that mere happenstance or design by the wealthy, powerful politically connected few?
Does anybody want to speculate on how many of his cronies, including Cheney, Bush will pardon “for crimes they may have committed?” Is it possible that Bush will fully pardon “Scooter” Libby then, because it is unlikely that he will then be vulnerable to a congressional subpoena?
Unless Libby gets a full pardon or immunity, he can still invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. If he is pardoned, his Fifth Amendment rights are immaterial and irrelevant because he then cannot be prosecuted for things that he did at the behest of his leaders. He, therefore, would have to testify fully and honestly, presumably under threat of prosecution for perjury.